Mac had had rather more of a merry New Year celebration than Jonathan had. Mac was a Scot who was born in a land where Hogmanay was a traditional Scottish celebration of the turn of the year. For many in Scotland, it was a two day holiday, covering not only New Years Day but also the day afterwards. Mac needed to get back to work and the second day of the year saw him sitting in his library, going over the bills and other correspondence that had come in since the before Christmas, when his phone rang.
"Hello Mac, this is Jonathan."
"Jonathan! What can I do for you?"
"I need to connect with this Mendellson character. I did quite a bit of research on him."
"Good. Actually, I was just about to call you. I’ve got some good news for you. Do you ever watch the BBC programme Question Time on a Thursday night?"
“Yes, I watch it most weeks, if I don’t fall asleep in front of the television.”
“Mendellson is appearing on the show next Thursday evening, a week tomorrow. You know how the show comes from a different place each week? Next Thursday it is being recorded at Bletchley Park, about fifty miles north of London.”
“That sounds great,” said Jonathan. “Bletchley Park is a museum of codebreaking now, isn’t it?”
“Indeed it is. It’s a fascinating place to visit.”
“How do you propose we get in to the recording?”
“All organized. I have a few contacts in the BBC and I just spoke to the producer of Question Time. She e-mailed me a couple of tickets so we can be in the audience Do you think you will be able to get into Mendellson’s mind?”
“It’s worth a try. What travel plans have you got?”
“Today is Wednesday. I have some business in London next Tuesday. Can you meet me in London next Tuesday afternoon? We can travel up to Bletchley Park by train on the Thursday morning and browse around the museum until the recording starts in the evening."
"I would really enjoy that," said Jonathan. "I can get a train down to London next Tuesday morning. Where do you want to meet?"
"I'll send a cab to pick you up outside Kings Cross station. Send me a text when you are about an hour outside London and let me know your arrival time."
"What about accommodation?"
"I've got a flat we can use. The cab will take you there. Can you pack for about a week?"
"Will do," said Jonathan. "I'll see you a week from this afternoon, then."
Jonathan had a feeling that the early part of January was going to be a rather hectic time, given his new job working with Mac. He needed to take his time off as and when he could, so he was looking forward to a few quiet days at home before going down to London. There was some reading he wanted to catch up on and if the weather was reasonable he wanted to do some walking out on the hills.